Extras: 4 Types of Roommates and How to Deal With Them

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by Aveline MacQuoid on April 4, 2021

in Extras

4 Types of Roommates
and How to Deal With Them

College life will present you with many challenges. Learning to manage your time, motivate yourself and get organized are just the basics. But what not so many people think about is the challenges with communication. 

Renting a place on your own is a luxury that not many students can afford. Instead, most opt for more pocket-friendly options. Living in a dorm or splitting a place with your friends are among the most popular ones. 

The obvious advantage of living with your peers is that you can always get help with your homework. For example, to ask where to buy essay paper you just need to knock on a door next to yours. 

But at the same time, a small disagreement can set the mood for the whole space. That’s why it’s so important to understand the personalities of your roommates and learn to handle their peculiarities. In this article, we will go over some of the most common people you will likely encounter in college and tell you how to deal with them.

The Messy Roommate

At first, a book left on the dining table will hardly raise any questions. But then, books start to pile up. So do the dishes in the sink and crumbs on the floor. Some people are just not good at cleaning. Or at least, this is what they will tell you.

The issue with mess is that when one person does it, others will have to clean after them. But in time, they’ll get tired and start leaving their mess behind, too. This can lead to the whole apartment turning into a warzone or food wraps, takeout boxes and dust.

What you need to do is to deal with that first thing. As soon as you notice someone leaving their dishes in the sink, tell them about it. When it grows into the entire place being messy, it’s hard to blame one person. But when everyone’s being neat and one person leaves their stuff around, it’s clearly their sloppines. 

Arrange a cleaning day and take turns cleaning the common areas. A schedule on the fridge will ensure nobody skips their turn. There are situations when your roommate needs study help getting ready for school and just can’t do the cleaning. In this situation, you can fill in for him as well!

The Clean Freak

On the other side of the coin is the clean freak roomie. They find time to clean every day, with no exceptions. Their room (or worse, part of the room) is always sparkling and they seem to judge you for a shirt that’s been hanging on a chair for longer than an hour. 

If you can afford an apartment with separate rooms, you’re good for as long as you clean the common areas properly. But if you’re confined to a dorm room, there might be problems. Sometimes, clean freaks are just freaky but not dangerous. They don’t touch your stuff when you’re away or nag you about your mess. That’s the best case scenario.

But if you live with a judgemental clean freak, you will need to talk and sort things out. The faster you do it, the easier it will be to compromise. Make it clear that you’re just not that into cleaning but you are not a pig either. 

Arrange your side of the room to make sure every item has a designated place. This way, keeping everything neat will be much easier. To break the ice, you might even ask your roommate for advice on what products to use and how to clean or arrange certain things. This will make them love you immediately.

The Party Animal

College is the perfect time for parties. You are young, hangovers are not as bad, and the parties don’t ever seem to end. But college is not all about parties. You need to obtain a diploma after all. Some people miraculously manage to party all the time but still pass all tests and graduate eventually. Nobody knows how they do it, though.

If you happened to get a party-goer as your roommate, you should set some ground rules from the start. Because if you don’t tell them you’re a light sleeper they will think you’re okay with that and the issue will be harder to bring up later. 

Make it clear that it’s not okay to come home at 5 AM and start cooking a drunk meal. Ensure you do it in a friendly manner, though. You being focused on your education doesn’t mean you wouldn’t like to be invited to parties occasionally. And a friendly relationship with your roomie can grant you a few invitations.

The Introvert

There’s nothing wrong with being secluded and private. Some people just don’t enjoy talking. If your roommate is an introvert, you can consider yourself lucky. The main thing to be aware of is how they feel. 

An introverted person is unlikely to tell you that something is bothering them until it becomes unbearable. That’s why you should ask them if they are okay with some things. Whenever you make any changes to the room or your routine, take a moment to inquire if your roomie is okay with that.

Also, the fact that they prefer to be alone doesn’t mean they hate other people. Invite them to hang out and make it obvious that you’re open to the idea of being friends. It might take longer for them to get used to you, but in time, they might agree to go to a party with you. And even if they don’t, it will feel nice for them to be invited.

Wrapping Up

College life will give you a lesson every day. And we’re not talking about the classes. Apart from the obvious lectures and tests, you also get live lessons. You learn to communicate with professors and roommates, to clean your room and to focus when there’s a party next door. 

It might seem hard at first, but later in life, you’ll be grateful you had a party-crazy roomie who taught you to sleep through everything. Or for the messy roomie who taught you to not care about other people’s mess and to never judge.

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